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Dallas Cowboys assistant coach enters COVID-19 protocols

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•11/22/21•

ChandlerVessels

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Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire

Dallas Cowboys assistant strength and conditioning coach Cedric Smith has entered COVID-19 protocols, per Dallas Morning News reporter Calvin Watkins. Cowboys receivers TJ Vasher and Robert Foster have also entered COVID-19 protocols.

All three are set to miss the game on Thanksgiving Day against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Smith is in his first season with Dallas after previous stops around the league. He began his coaching career in 2001 with the Denver Broncos and has also been on the staffs of the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans.

He also played in the NFL for six seasons as a running back. Drafted in the fifth round by Minnesota in 1990, he had stints with New Orleans, Washington and Arizona. He was the primary blocking back for Emmitt Smith from 1987-89 when the two played college football for the Florida Gators.

An undrafted rookie, Vasher has spent the majority of this season on Dallas’ reserves list. The 6-foot-5, 210 pound receiver spent his college years at Texas Tech, racking up 1,983 yards and 21 touchdowns over his career.

Foster, who also went undrafted in 2018, played college for Alabama. Like Vasher, he has not played this season.

The Cowboys have lost two of their past three games, including Sunday against the Chiefs. At 7-3, they still have a comfortable lead in the NFC East division and look primed for a playoff appearance.

Dallas started its tradition of playing in Thanksgiving Day games in 1966 and has compiled a 31-21-1 record since then. They are 2-3 of the past five seasons, including a 41-16 loss to the Washington Football Team in 2020.

The offense, led by quarterback Dak Prescott, is currently the best in the NFL, averaging 418.1 yards per game. They also have the third-best scoring offense with 29.3 points per contest.

Kickoff between Dallas and Las Vegas is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at AT&T Stadium. They will look to add a win to their Thanksgiving Day record in spite of the COVID-19 issues with Cowboys assistant Cedric Smith and others.